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If you're towing a fifth wheel with a short bed, clearance can be a real headache. This hitch fixes that with 22-1/2" of fore/aft travel that happens automatically as you drive. The head slides toward the tailgate during tight turns and back toward the cab when you straighten out, so there’s no stopping to pull a lever. Its roller-and-guide assembly moves smoothly and under control, giving you the space you need to corner without binding or cab contact.
Once you’re hitched, the wraparound, single-piece jaw completely surrounds the king pin for 360-degree contact. A 3/4" solid steel locking bar reinforces that connection, automatically locking when the jaw closes. This setup keeps movement tight and secure—less rattle, less chucking, and peace of mind every mile down the road.
The double-pivot head moves both front to back and side to side to make hooking up easier and your ride quieter. Three polyurethane dampeners absorb road shock and help reduce towing noise, so things feel steady over bumps or uneven pavement. The result is controlled movement through every turn and smoother transitions between truck and trailer.
Installation is simple thanks to the pre-assembled base and included custom underbed mounting kit. Just bolt on the side plates, choose one of the three height settings—15-1/2", 16-3/4", or 18-1/4"—attach the head, and lock it into the four underbed receivers. When you’re done towing, pull the pins, twist the handles, and lift it out for full bed access without rails in the way.
This hitch is built from sturdy steel with a rust-resistant black powder coat finish and rated for 13,000 lbs gross towing weight with a 3,250 lbs vertical load limit. That strength gives you confidence towing sizable fifth wheels while keeping everything stable through long hauls and sharp turns alike.
Alternate Instructions
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today we're going to take a look at the replacement side plates for the Demco Hijacker Autoslide fifth wheel trailer hitches, and this is for the underbed mount. Now this will replace the side plates that came standard with your Demco Hijacker Autoslide underbed fifth wheel trailer hitch. They are designed to bolt onto your hitch base so that you can attach your hitch to the custom underbed rails. This is designed to fit the 13,000 pound Hijacker, Part Number DM8550041. It also fits the 18,000 pound Hijacker, DM8550022, and the 21,000 pound Hijacker, DM8550037 models. This is a simple bolt-on installation to your hitch base. There are multiple rows of bolt holes on these side plates and on your hitch base, so depending how you line them out, it will let you adjust the hitch height.
The hitch height settings will go from either 15-1/2 inches to 16-3/4 and 18-1/4, so you have your choice of those three settings to get your trailer and tow vehicle as level as possible. These do have a rust-resistant black powder coat finish. They are an all-steel construction. It does include the instructions. It will include the mounting hardware, and it also includes two 1/4-inch spacers and two 3/8-inch spacers, and the spacers are used for adjusting your hitch mount with the bed pockets of your truck, and this part is made in the U.S.A. The way that these would open up is you just pull the clip, pull the pin out, and you can see each one of these will rotate out, and when you rotate those out, it will let you drop it into your underbed mount, and then once there, you just turn this back in to lock it, and then put your clip right through there just like that. This part is made in the U.S.A. That should do it for the review of the replacement side plates for Demco Hijacker Autoslide fifth wheel trailer hitches with the underbed mount..
Ratings & Reviews
Kate F.
2/18/2026
Great pointer with the hoist Tanner, this thing is a beast! It is so awesome to not have to get out of the truck to be able to make those tight turns. Any big adventures coming up this year? Where are you going, what are you seeing?
Mike L.
5/1/2026
Glad to hear that William, thanks for the photo!
Bob N.
10/14/2025
A year later….. So I took the camper out 5 times this summer. Had zero issues with the hitch. Unhooking was a little tricky for me. I would raise the camper, pull the latch on the hitch, go to pull the truck away….only for the latch to lock in again. This happened to me several times but I blame myself for lack of experience. This has become less of an issue the more I unhook from the camper. Overall I’m happy with the hitch and would recommend.
Andrew
8/27/2025
It has worked great so far so good however wave expresshorizon transport does not accept this manufacturer’s hitch. I pull a 12,800 something pound fifth wheel camper loaded has done great no issues. Here’s hoping it last 20 years.
Kate F.
8/27/2025
Gwendolyn Y.
5/28/2025
You deserve a major high-five for installing this monster by yourself! That's a big feat to take on! I'm happy that everything smoothed out in the end and that you are enjoying the hitch! What kind of camping trips are lined up so far for the summer?
Doug
6/17/2026
Denco Autoslide 5th wheel hitch is working perfectly a year later. Weve traveled extensively across the USA and Canada over year, the hitch has performed as expected each time. One key, keep the hitch and king pin clean and well lubricated.
Lazer S.
2/10/2026
Glad you are liking it, Steve! I'll let Demco know about the instructions as well. Definitely don't want to get those mixed up so it should be as clear as possible. What kind of 5th wheel are you going to be towing?
Brooke M.
6/4/2025
That's awesome you had a forklift to use - that's one of the hardest parts of install--just getting it into the truck bed, haha! Glad we were able to keep you informed about the whereabouts, too. Have you been able to use it since install?
Brooke M.
4/16/2025
You're welcome, Randy! Everything looks awesome and ready to go! Where were you headed in the photo?
Victoria B.
10/2/2019
One thing to consider - there are a lot of small springs and levers working inside the hitch head to work the king pin jaws. While this 5th wheel hitch is certainly robust and designed to take a beating from your 5th wheel when towing, it wasnt designed to support its own weight for extended periods of time.
John T.
9/23/2020
Now been two years and have about 15,000 miles on my Demco Autoslide Hitch. Still works terrific with my 35 ft Montana on the F350 truck. Never a problem traveling or hitching up.
Bugs B.
7/23/2021
The hitch still works as described. Have not broken another rear window since installing it. I have learned that when unhooking from 5vr I have to take a pry bar to straighten out the hitch back to straight for rehooking. The only thing I do not like is the serious clunking that seems to occur when making some turns, then accelerating and the hitch straitening out. Thats the only real complaint I have. Since installation of the Demco I do not worry about making sharp turns!
Danny
4/25/2025
Great! This unit is Big, Heavy, and does the job the way it is supposed to. A smaller unit has too much slop and noisy, not this one. You want Heavy Duty without any concerns? This is the mamma jamma you want to get!
Victoria B.
10/7/2019
For anyone else wondering how to use a MOR/ryde pin box with their Demco Hijacker Autoslide, you can use the Locking Plate # DM6025.
Helpful Links
Raymond F.
9/27/2020
After over a year of towing with the Demco Auto slide I am very happy with its performance. Never a worry about tight turns with a short bed truck.
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Dan
3/18/2019
Im very happy with the hitch. Ive towed for close to 15,000 miles. I did however travel over one very uneven road and cracked a weld on the adjustable side guide on the top plate. Great hitch!